Chance Encounters
by ynnej2198
Summary: Two years after leaving town, Patrick with his family, and Sabrina with Carlos and her baby, they find themselves back in Port Charles and set up on a blind date. Will old flames be rekindled? *Hold*
1. Chapter 1

A blind date. Patrick couldn't believe that it had come to this. He was back in Port Charles working at GH after his second marriage to Robin failed. He loved Robin. Always would. But, sometimes love wasn't enough. They'd really tried to keep it together for their sakes and for Emma's, but not even their fresh start in California was enough. They weren't the same people they had been and eventually those differences eroded away at their family unit. Emma had been upset, rightfully so; but, she was a trooper. When she couldn't take the tension between them anymore, she told them not to stay together for her sake. After the divorce, Emma had opted to stay with Robin indefinitely. While Patrick was disappointed not to be with his little girl, he knew that she had lost a lot of time with her mother that she could never get back, so he accepted her choice resignedly. When GH called and asked him to come back, he accepted and Emma wished him well with promises to Skype and visit often.

Since they had only sublet their house when they moved, Patrick was able to move back in when he returned to town. It didn't take very long for him to get settled back into the life that was comfortable. He had a few awkward encounters with Sam, who was back with Jason, much to Elizabeth's chagrin; but, overall the transition had been smooth. After a few months, however, he began to get lonely and Elizabeth suggested he start dating again. It would do him good, she said. And she had the perfect person in mind. He trusted her judgment, so here he was, sitting at the bar at the Metro Court nursing a scotch and waiting for his mystery woman to arrive. Despite the debacle with Jason a few years ago, he trusted Elizabeth to make a good choice. She kind of owed him, after all. Patrick tried to get details from Elizabeth, but all she would say was that the woman was perfect for him and that she would be wearing a red dress.

* * *

Sabrina was nervous as she stepped into the elevator at the Metro Court. She couldn't believe she'd let Elizabeth talk her into a blind date. She'd just moved back to Port Charles in order to allow Teddy to be closer to his father, who turned out to be Michael after all. She was so sure that Teddy was Carlos' that she lied to Michael and ran away with Carlos, only to find out after the birth that the baby wasn't his. The baby had caught a fever shortly after birth and had to be admitted to the hospital and when they typed his blood, Sabrina realized that Carlos couldn't be the father. A DNA test confirmed it. Carlos was devastated, but Sabrina was relieved. As devoted as Carlos was to her, she didn't love him and their attempt at being a family was doomed to fail. She wished him well and returned home to give Michael the great news. He was overjoyed to find out that the baby he loved was biologically his, but they did not get back together because Sabrina didn't stay around long enough to determine if they had something worth salvaging. She took Teddy and moved home to Puerto Rico to allow her son a chance to get to know her family there. Michael hadn't been happy about it, but respected her decision as long as she allowed him access to their son. Despite his willingness to work with her on co-parenting Teddy, Sabrina could tell that Michael missed the little boy, so she brought him back to Port Charles.

Although Felix kept trying to convince her to go after Michael, who had forgiven her for her lies, Sabrina was extremely hesitant to revisit the past. A part of her would always love Michael, especially because he is Teddy's father, but their ship had sailed. He'd moved on with a girl who made him smile in the time she was away and she was happy for him. She would never break up a relationship. It wasn't who she was. But, she was lonely. It was time for her to move on, too.

"Get a grip," Sabrina whispered to herself as the elevator doors opened at the restaurant level. It was one date, not a wedding. She trusted Elizabeth's judgment, so she smoothed invisible wrinkles out of her red wrap dress and walked toward the entrance. She paused on the threshold as she looked for a man wearing a khaki jacket. When she saw him sitting at the bar, she almost fainted. She was going to kill Elizabeth for this. And Felix, too, for good measure, because she knew deep down that he was in on this.

Unfortunately, before she could make a hasty retreat, Patrick looked up and spied her. He smiled cheerfully - until he saw her red dress. Then his smile faded and he looked like a deer in headlights.


	2. Chapter 2

Not wanting to be rude, Sabrina made her way to the bar and sat next to Patrick. "So, do you want to kill her or should I?" she asked him.

Patrick shook his head. "I can't believe she did this. She can't possibly think…"

"That you and I would go down _that_ road again," Sabrina finished for him, looking at him with a self-depreciating smile.

"I didn't mean…"

Sabrina reached out and put her hand on top of his on the bar. "I know, Patrick," she smiled. "You were absolutely the last person I expected to see when I walked in here." Except for Michael, she added silently.

When the bartender came over, Sabrina ordered a drink and put down a $10. When Patrick grabbed the money and put it back in her hand and instructed the bartender to put it on his tab, Sabrina said, "Patrick, you don't have to."

"Yes, I do," he replied after the bartender walked away. "I don't want to be that guy who doesn't pay for his date's drink."

"But this isn't a date," Sabrina responded. "Been there, done that. It didn't end well."

"No, it didn't," Patrick agreed. "But there is no reason we can't have a nice dinner and catch up."

Then, he got up and offered her his hand. "Come on. Let's eat."

Sabrina thought for a moment. She was over Patrick. They were ancient history. Nothing beyond dinner was going to happen, so why not have a nice time catching up with a friend. Decided, Sabrina reached out and clasped her hand in his. "Okay. Let's eat."

* * *

Patrick hadn't thought about Sabrina in a long time. It wasn't because he didn't care. He did. But they had both moved on with their separate lives. The last time he saw her was over two years ago at the Floating Rib when she'd given him her advice on how to deal with the Jason situation. They were friends, but neither of them had made any effort to contact the other since. The fact that he hadn't given Sabrina much of a thought since that night was part of the reason he was so shocked when he saw her. Of course Elizabeth would think Sabrina was perfect for him considering he once almost married the woman.

He laughed to himself when Sabrina mentioned killing Elizabeth. Leave it to her to try to make light of the awkwardness of being set up with each other. After she broke the ice, they fell right back into their rhythm. It was funny how well he could still read her considering all the time they'd spent apart.

When they got to the table, Patrick waited for her to sit down and then pushed her chair in for her. They engaged in small talk while they waited for their food to come until they ran out of safe topics to discuss.

"So," Sabrina said, slightly awkwardly. "Now that we've covered the weather and town gossip, what do you want to talk about?"


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning...

As sunlight peered through the curtains, Sabina opened her eyes and blinked a few times to orient herself to the unfamilar room. When a kitchen pipe exploded and flooded the the little house she shared with Teddy, her home owner's insurance put them up in a suite at the hotel while it was being repaired. Sabrina stared at the ceiling and recalled her date with Patrick last night. After their initial awkwardness, they had fallen back into their old rhythm. During dinner and at the bar afterward, they caught each other up on the last two years of their lives. Patrick couldn't believe that Sabrina had run away with Carlos while so pregnant, but he was relieved that it had turned out okay in the end. And he was glad that Carlos was out of her life forever after being murdered by Julian. He'd never liked the guy. Sabrina enjoyed hearing about Patrick's time in California and Emma's shenanigans.

Sabrina enjoyed their date. Maybe a little too much. Both the drinks and Patrick were intoxicating. Before everything had gone to hell, they'd been so in love. It would be easy for her to fall for him again if she wasn't careful. Sabrina looked over at Patrick, who was still sleeping beside her and sighed. Yes, very careful.

* * *

Patrick felt the bed shift beside him and opened his eyes to see a naked Sabrina walking toward the bathroom. Now that was a view he missed. He hadn't planned to spend the night with his ex-fiancée, but one thing had unexpectedly lead to another and now here he was in her bed. And loving every minute of it.

When the door closed behind her, Patrick sat up and grabbed his watch to check the time. He was due at the hospital in a few hours so he would have to leave soon, but he didn't want to go. He hadn't realized how much he missed having her in his life until she popped back into it. Funny that.

Patrick just stood up to gather his clothes, which were marking the trail from the door to the bed, when Sabrina came back into the room.

"Oh!" she squeaked surprisedly when she saw him. Then, blushing, she said as she tied her robe, "I didn't realize you were awake."

It amazed Patrick that he could still make her blush, even after all the times they'd made love before. "Yeah, I am. I have to get ready for my shift," he said.

"Right," she said a bit dejectedly, "You mentioned that you have a surgery today. I forgot." Then she walked over to the door and bent down to pick up his shirt, "Let me help you."

Knowing what she was doing, Patrick walked over to her. When she stood up, pants now in hand, he lightly grasped her wrist, "Sabrina, stop."

"Stop what?"

"Feeling embarrassed." When she blushed again, he grabbed the clothes from her hand and dropped them back on the floor. Pulling her close, Patrick added, "Last night was amazing. You're amazing. And it's definitely nothing to feel embarrassed about."

Sabrina smiled softly, "Yes, it was amazing." Then, just as he was about to lean down and kiss her, he was stopped short when she said, "But it can never happen again."

"What, why? I thought we agreed…"

"I know we did, but I don't think that I can be with you - and do this - without falling for you again." She pulled her wrist out and backed away. "It would just be too easy."

Patrick was shocked at how much her declaration disappointed and hurt him. They'd agreed last night to keep each other company. Nothing serious. Just very good friends with the occasional benefit. To help stave away the loneliness they were both feeling. Despite that, he replied, "The last thing I ever want to do, Sabrina, is cause you more pain."

"I appreciate that, Patrick." Then, "Would you like some breakfast? I can make something while you get dressed."

Patrick knew the effect his nakedness had on her. That she couldn't think straight with the distraction. He was hungry, but not for food. "You know what? I think breakfast is a great idea."

Sabrina turned around and walked toward the small kitchen, "Great!"

She had only gone a few steps when he stepped into her path. "But only if you're on the menu."

When Sabina smiled, he knew he'd won. She would give him - them - one last hurrah before he walked back out of her life.


	4. Chapter 4

When Patrick arrived in the locker room to change for his surgery, he spied Elizabeth by her locker. When he called her name, she looked up from digging in her tote bag and flinched. Apparently, she knew he would have a bone to pick with her.

"Hey, Patrick," she said sheepishly as he arrived by her side.

"So… Sabrina? What were you thinking Elizabeth?"

Liz nervously wrung her hands as she said, "I know it must have been shocking to see her there, but you have to admit she is perfect for you. I just know how lonely you both have been, so…"

"We went down that road before, Liz. It didn't end well. You of all people know that," Patrick admonished.

"Yeah, I know, but it didn't end. Not really." When Patrick tried to interrupt, Elizabeth held up a finger to shush him and continued, "You broke up because of circumstances beyond your control, Patrick, not because the relationship - or the love - ended."

Patrick thought about that. His dead wife interrupting his wedding to Sabrina definitely qualified as a circumstance beyond his control. He'd wrestled with whether to stay with Sabrina or return to Robin for weeks, but had ultimately broken up with Sabrina to put his family back together. He loved Sabrina, but he had also still been very much in love with his wife. He'd simply HAD to go back to Robin.

"Okay, I'll give you that one, but so much has happened since then Elizabeth. We both moved on with our lives. We can't go back."

Liz looked at hm closely. "Patrick, when I set you up, it wasn't to go back. It was to help two of my best friends move forward. Everything is different now. If you give it a chance, you may fall in love again and live the life together that you never had the chance to. Wouldn't that be great?"

With that, Liz patted him affectionately on the arm, picked up her tote bag and left.

As Patrick changed into his scrubs, he wondered if he and Sabrina could pick up where they left off. After last night, he knew he was still incredibly attracted to her, but could they really put the past behind them?

* * *

Sabrina jumped as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "Geez, Felix, you scared the crap out of me!" she exclaimed after he came into view and sat down across the table from her.

"Where were you just now Sabrina? I called your name five times, but you ignored me."

"Sorry, Fe, I just have a lot on my mind today."

"One date with Dr. Dreamboat and you're already a pile of mush." Whe Sabrina blushed furiously, he added, "It must have been one hell of date…"

Then Fe looked at her and she knew he could see her secret in her eyes. Felix was her best friend in the world and she couldn't hide anything from him.

Fe screamed in shocked delight and covered his mouth with his hands. Muffled, he exclaimed, "You didn't!"

"I - we - did. But it was a horrible mistake."

Confused, Felix, asked, "How can it be a mistake? It's Patrick, Sabrina."

Now serious, Sabrina replied gravely, "That's exactly why, Felix. Losing him the first time almost killed me. I'm not sure I would survive it again."

Unfortunately, before Felix could reply, Michael and Nelle walked into Kelly's with Teddy. As he anxiously bounded toward her, Sabrina and Fe were forced to put a hold on their conversation.


End file.
